Bowel cancer treatment

Impact of the activated EGFR-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway on prognosis and tumour resistance to anti-angiogenic targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer

Our research

Advanced colorectal cancer can be treated by a number of different chemotherapies and by a targeted treatment (bevacizumab) that reduces the development of blood supply to the cancer. Specific abnormalities (KRAS mutations) in cancer have been shown to predict a lack of benefit from other types of targeted treatment (EGFR-antagonist). This research shows that cancers with these abnormalities (KRAS mutations) will still receive the same benefit from bevacizumab treatment as other cancers. Other measures of blood vessel formation in the cancer did not predict for outcome from bevacizumab treatment.

What motivates me

To improve cancer treatment, reduce the side effects of therapy, improve the benefit and allow patients to live a better quality of life.

My message to supporters

This research has helped add to our knowledge about how to select patients for targeted treatment for cancer. By identifying patients who will not benefit from certain treatments, we can prevent them from receiving futile therapy that may result in side effects. This funding has also allowed the development of interstate and international collaboration to continue working on similar projects to improve our understanding of how to treat cancer.

Stay in the loop

Your privacy is as important to Cancer Council SA as it is to you. That's why any personal information you give us will be treated with respect and in strict confidence. Personal information is collected to process donations, issue tax receipts and to send you updates. We may disclose your information to agents, contractors and third parties who provide services to us, and in doing so we take reasonable steps to ensure any information held by our service providers is protected. A full copy of our Privacy Policy is at www.cancersa.org.au/privacy with details about how you can access and correct your personal information and how we handle any privacy complaints. Or call us on 1300 65 65 85 for more details about our commitment to your privacy.